Getting Real About Climate Change encouraged
participants to take a critical look at the
current discussions, examining the feasibility of geoengineering,
reflecting on the effects climate change may have on
food and water security and on energy generation,
and contribute to a video of the day's proceedings.
Our young participants had the opportunity
to gain hands-on experience in film-making, working both
behind and in front of the camera.

The scientific consensus today is that the world we live in
is experiencing a global increase in temperature that could
cause problems for humanity. Water, food and energy have
become major issues in the developed and developing world.
So, how should we respond to these changes? Should we go for
large-scale development to offset the problems associated with
climate change? If global warming is man-made then should we
try to control the climate through intentional manipulation 
the geoengineering approach being proposed by some scientists?
Or should we all cut back on our use of resources as many
environmental campaigners suggest?

This workshop
interrogated these big questions facing humanity through
three debates:

Practical documentary film making workshop on the media:
This challenging and exciting session will get your creative juices
flowing, your brain twitching and tickle your film making fancies.
Working with media professionals and young participants
of The Great Debate
film-making project Living in a Changing World
participants will be encouraged to take a critical look at
the themes of the day's debates
and prepare material for a documentary to be published online,
some working in front of the camera, some behind it.

In the first session, the crew will equip you with the kit
you need, crucial sound, lighting and camera know how
and the confidence to start shooting a short for millions to see.
By morning break time, some of you will be diving in the deep end
filming the debates taking place, interviewing participants and
recording your own reflections for posterity. After the day's
debates a feedback session will provide further opportunity to record
yours and others thoughts on the topics, argue about content and
decide on what material will be published. You will also have the
opportunity to follow up and apply what you have learnt by
getting involved in editing and publishing the filmed material.

What can we do now to limit the adverse affects climate change
may have on food and water security?

The threat that the changing climate poses to people's access
to drinking water and to agriculture is one that needs to be taken
seriously. This raises questions about much we know about what
those changes might be and how we should respond to them.
How much do they affect us here in the developed world?
What do they mean for people in the developing world?
Should we be planning how to avoid them being disastrous?
or should we accept that there are too many people on
the planet today as commentators from David Attenborough to
Jonathon Porritt have argued? What legacy do we want
future generations to inherit in terms of food and water security?

For years seen by many as a peripheral and slightly bizarre area
of research, has geoengineering - the intentional large-scale manipulation
of the global system to counteract man-made climate change - finally
come of age? In September 2009, The Royal Society
published the findings of a
major study into geoengineering, recommending that the UK government and
Research Councils should jointly fund a 10 year geoengineering
research programme to the tune of £10M per annum. So, how feasible
is it to engineer the climate for our own ends? Is it something we
should be doing or would going down this path be repeating the
mistakes of the past? What developments led to the new popularity of
this approach? And why are some environmental groups
unhappy about the recommendations of this ground breaking report?
Come along, hear the arguments and have your say!

If we arent going to depend on fossil fuels,
then how can we keep the lights on? Can renewable
sources of energy such as wind, wave and solar power
meet our requirements? What place does nuclear energy
have in the future of energy for the UK? Should we
view climate change as an opportunity
or a threat for our region?
Researchers and industrialists
come together to debate the way forward.
So, come along, hear the arguments and have your say!

Education for Sustainable Development

The United Nations
Education
for Sustainable Development (EfSD) programme works towards
bringing greater understanding of sustainability into teaching
at all levels of education and in all sectors of society.

As part of The Great Debate's ongoing commitment to education, knowledge
and informed opinion through discussion and research we are pleased to be partners
in the North East EfSD regional network.

The Great Debate
schools programme
is proud to have attracted the
participation of Framwellgate School, Newcastle College, Whickam School,
St. Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, Heaton Manor School, Ryton Comprehensive,
Durham High School for Girls and a broad audience of all ages from the general public
in our Development, Sustainability and Environment series,
held as part of the North East EfSD initiative.